Outdoor Retailer + Snow Show Now is Largest Wintersports Industry Gathering in U.S.

The inaugural Outdoor Retailer + Snow Show, Outdoor Retailer’s first combined trade show with SIA Snow Show in Denver, now is the largest annual U.S. trade show and conference for the outdoor and snowsports industries, boasting a sold-out exhibit floor.

Set for Jan. 25-28 at the Colorado Convention Center, the massive event will feature a revamped show format with approximately 1,000 brands spanning three floors, new show features and for the first time, consumer access to select marquee events.

“The positive response to the combined show has exceeded all expectations,” said Marisa Nicholson, vice president and show director for all Outdoor Retailer events.

She continued, “We are going to be bursting at the seams with gear. The opportunities for product discovery and access to outdoor and snow brands will be unparalleled, as well as the other hallmarks of an Outdoor Retailer show – education, networking and events that allow us all to connect with the outdoor community.”

Besides new curated spaces to help retailers target key areas, Outdoor Retailer + Snow Show will feature new conference programming as well as The Trend + Design Center, showcasing innovations in materials and manufacturing for designers and R&D teams.

To help attendees navigate the event, the show will offer “Ask Me for Help” people walking the floor, plentiful map kiosks, orientation tours, a revamped and streamlined mobile app and a “Text for Help” platform, according to show officials.

Special events will include The Inspiration Awards celebration; a new “Night of Stoke” evening of films and speakers living the dream of the ultimate wintersports lifestyles, as well as a new collaboration with Icelantic’s Winter on the Rocks to bring the Fashion Show back to Denver at Red Rocks Amphitheatre.

Taking place Jan. 26, on the show’s second night, the Fashion Show and concert will be open to show attendees and to the public for the first time ever, with the goal of extending the show’s reach, providing a new platform for brand engagement and giving consumers a glimpse into the outdoor and snowsports industries’ fashion styles for next season.

Last summer, B2B trade show and conference producer Emerald Expositions announced that it had chosen Denver as the official home of its three annual OR trade shows: Outdoor Retailer + Snow Show, Outdoor Retailer Summer Market and Outdoor Retailer Winter Market.

The three events are expected to draw more than 85,000 attendees and $110 million economic impact annually to The Mile High City, according to show officials.

The SIA Snow Show, which Emerald acquired in May, has called Denver its home for seven years, helping to pave the way for the Summer and Winter Markets to come to the CCC, which boasts 584,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space, 63 meeting rooms, two ballrooms and a 5,000-seat theater (with plans for a $104 million expansion of the facility in the works).

Known as largest annual ski and snowboard equipment, apparel and accessories trade show in North America, the SIA Snow Show drew approximately 1,000 exhibitors and 18,500 attendees to more than 326,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space at the CCC Jan. 26-29.

The most recent OR Summer Market, held July 26-29 at the Salt Palace Convention Center, marked the end of OR’s 22-year run in Salt Lake City, where approximately 46,000 attendees and 1,620 exhibitors spanned more that 549,000 square feet of expo space.

The final Salt Lake City version of OR Winter Market, held Jan. 10-12 at the SPCC, drew approximately 9,000 attendees and 965 exhibitors spanning more than 415,000 sq. ft. of the facility’s 515,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space.

According to Emerald Exhibitions, beginning in Jan. 2018, Denver will be OR’s home for the next five years and will follow a three-show calendar going forward, with Outdoor Retailer + Snow Show taking place annually in January, OR Summer Market in July and OR Winter Market in November.

Outdoor Retailer will return to the Colorado Convention Center July 23-26 for its Summer Market, followed by its Winter Market, set for Nov. 8-11.

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